And Then They Became Quiet…
Day Twenty Six - (Camino del San Salvador Completo, Camino Primitivo Completo), Camino Finisterre/Muxia, Day Five Finisterre to Lires
“He understood that in walking to atone for the mistakes he had made, it was his journey to accept the strangeness of others. As a passerby, he was in a place where everything, not only the land, was open. People would feel free to talk, and he was free to listen. To carry a little of them as he went.”
—- Rachel Joyce, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Today’s walk was beautiful! There were many moments when you’d approach a turn, and suddenly the ocean would stretch out in front of you. At this point, I’d say I’m enjoying the walk in the current order, Santiago to Finisterre to Muxia, versus Santiago to Muxia and then Finisterre. The best scenery either way though, is the stretch between Finisterre and Muxia. I’m sending a correction to Wise Pilgrim tonight though - the red arrows mentioned that take you on a more scenic, coastal route occur later than the app describes.
I’m approaching the last day of walking and have been a bit introspective today. Like any walk along a Camino, you both hear and share stories with those around you. I sat at a table one night with an American woman who is unhappy in her career, and walking to consider what she might do instead. Another shares how she’s walking to decide where she might like to live, while her son stays home and considers if he’d like to purchase the family home from her. Yet another walks to his young daughter in Valencia, to have his bit of time with her after a divorce. He shares pictures with me of her riding a horse, a love they both share. And for me, I know more about my wonderful companions now than I did in Santiago, and they have learned a bit more about me. We feel free to talk, but I believe it is the listening that causes us to carry a little of each other in our hearts. It is no wonder we may return home a bit sad and lost - we have been carrying each other for so many days. How good to know we have room for so much compassion! Carry these pilgrims and your memories of them home with you and pull them out often. They do not age or grow weak with time.
